Blood Sacrifice
by RedPandaChan
Summary: Gaara is a vampire, called inexplicably to a street corner. What part does he and the one whose soul calls him have to play in the future of human and vampire alike? Rated M for lemons, gore, character deaths, and maybe some yaoi.
1. Kyūketsuki

_I know that I should be working on my other two stories, but I'm a little stuck on Geisha about how to write the next phase, and my muse for Sandmaster has run away. So I decided to write something else, and this was it._

_Naruto doesn't belong to me, and this is your only notice._

_Blood Sacrifice_

**Ky****ū****ketsuki (Vampire)**

The moon was hidden behind clouds that were releasing a torrent of rain upon the city. Cars were kicking up a storm of water as they drove through the streets, and any fool out walking on a night like this was in danger of being drenched by a mini tsunami if they weren't careful. The weather section of the news had predicted this rain a week ago, and had said that it would likely last the rest of the month, which was another week away. That was quite believable at this point.

The city had gone without rain for a very long time, so for some, this was a welcomed relief. But even they were cursing the dreary weather in the end. This wasn't just 'a break in the drought', this was a deluge of near biblical proportions, if you wanted to be melodramatic. In any case, there wasn't much chance of getting out of this weather unscathed, and there would likely be many homes flooded, and insurance companies called upon to deliver.

At this moment, there was someone out in the rain, someone who was in no way bothered by the precipitation. He stood under a street light, soaked to the bone, but he wasn't shivering. He didn't feel the cold, he had never felt anything as trivial as temperature, hunger… Well, not in the conventional way, anyway. He had a hunger, but it wasn't satisfied by food. It would be better to describe it as a thirst, though water and other beverages ill sufficed.

What he hungered for, it was primal. It was basic and animalistic, the way that he craved it was something he avoided thinking of. Truly, he despised what he was, but there was no way to change it, short of killing himself, and he wasn't prepared to die just yet. And so he lived on, _feeding _off the life's blood of humans around him. _Killing _them so that he could extend his own miserable existence.

_Ky__ū__ketsuki_, that's what he was. A vampire. He was Sabaku no Gaara, and it was nearly four centuries ago that he had been turned, and had wreaked havoc on the human world, pillaging, killing, feeding off humans and warring with his own kind. But now he was tired, and was almost ready to give up on the world. _But not yet. _There was still something out there, he had no idea what it was, but for the last twenty years, he'd heard something calling to him, and it had led him here.

This city was called Konoha, and the last time he'd been here, it had been a provincial village, under the thumb of a cruel tyrant. Of course, that tyrant had tried to get kyūketsuki under his thumb to aid him in his ambitions that would have led him to the imperial Palace. But vampires weren't something that could be controlled, and that tyrant had found that out to his own demise. Gaara could still clearly remember how it had felt to rip the bastard's throat out…

Stirring slightly at the images his memory dredged up, Gaara shifted uncomfortably as he continued to stand there, waiting for goodness knew what. The shift in his position brought his mind back to reality, and he realised that he was being watched. Instantly he was on his guard, until he recognised the presence that observed him. One of his oldest friends, and a long time co-slaughterer of innocent masses.

Through the rain, a figure approached him. "Hey Gaara," the person said. "The teme said you were here, but I figured he was crazy. Why would you leave the coven to stand on a street corner like some hooker?"

Gaara's gaze moved over to his best friend Naruto, and he glared at him. "Fuck off, Uzumaki!" he growled.

Naruto's eyebrow rose, then he sighed. "The coven elders aren't happy with you," he told him. "They had plans, some really nasty and exciting plans, then you took off and they got all shitty and whiney, and they're blaming me for you getting out of hand."

Out of hand? Whatever. Gaara had already decided that the elders could get screwed. He knew that they had some pretty big plans for… something, but he wasn't interested. There was something else he needed to do, and he knew he had to be here for it to happen. Honestly, though, the ambiguous feelings that he had were frustrating him, but the urge to obey was far too strong.

"You have to come back, Gaara," Naruto was saying. "My being here is a courtesy, your only chance to return on your own. If you don't, then they'll send a retrieval posse after you."

"I can't."

Naruto's eyebrow went up. "You can't?" he asked. "Or you won't?"

Gaara glared at him and went back to waiting, ignoring the being staring at him. Naruto sighed and said in a defeated tone, "Fine. Have it your way. But _they _will be coming, remember that."

And with that, Naruto was gone.

_**?**_

Five days later, Gaara _knew _why he was waiting. The rain had let up for the most part, and there was only a slight drizzle. There was a lot of damage left over from the rain, and people were out and about fixing things. As he stood on that same street corner, waiting, that was when _she _walked by. The sun had only just gone down, and Gaara hadn't been waiting that long, but the instant he saw her, he just _knew _that she was his purpose.

There was nothing really out of the ordinary about her-standard height, weight and such-but her hair was a major exception. Cherry blossom pink. There really weren't any people with pink hair, unless it was a dye job, but Gaara's keen sense of smell didn't detect any of the chemicals associated with artificially coloured hair. Her scent stood out in a way that no other humans had, and it was intoxicating, as well as more than a little unsettling.

Apples and vanilla. That was what she smelled of. Gaara watched as she walked along the street, oblivious to all around her as she chatted away on her phone. Urged on by some deep instinct, he followed her. They walked for about twenty minutes, and she didn't seem to notice him, as caught up in her conversation as she was. This was good, he decided, as it seemed that he was being a little clumsy, following her like this, but he just _had _to get near her.

A couple of times he nearly lost her, as once in a while she seemed to vanish into thin air when she entered a crowd. But then he heard her laugh, and it would unerringly lead him to her. Eventually they came to a stop in front of an apartment building, and when she went in, Gaara stopped following her. He stared up at the windows, wondering which one was hers. In any case, he knew now where she lived, and it would be easier for tracking her in the future.

This was a mystery, he decided. Why had he felt a pull towards this mortal woman? As Gaara moved over to the opposite side of the road, he thought that there was nothing that he knew of that set a precedent for this. Leaning against the streetlight pole, his gaze fixed on the main door of the building as he set about accomplishing whatever it was that was his new goal in… well, unlife.

_**?**_

Sakura stared covertly out of her window, watching _him _as he just stood there. What was a vampire doing following her home?

So, review, please!


	2. Ningen

_New chapter set up! Enjoy._

**Ningen (Human)**

Haruno Sakura was a genius. She'd skipped a couple of years during school, and had been accepted to several different universities, all over the world. But she'd decided on Tokyo University, and had studied medicine and genetics. Now, she was a fully qualified doctor, and a pretty good geneticist too. She could have any job in research in the country, and probably in the world, but she'd decided to work in a doctor's office in Konoha, a town that had a long history with the supernatural.

Growing up, Sakura had lived in Tokyo, but then, when her parents were murdered in front of her by vampires when she was fourteen, she'd moved to Konoha, where she'd been taken in by a group of hunters. They had taught her everything she needed to know about kyūketsuki, how to fight, and they'd helped her get hold of her inheritance when someone had tried to block it.

Sakura's research had allowed her to understand the genetic difference between human and vampire, and with the help of other scientists and doctors working on this, she felt sure that they were close to a cure. If they got it right, then any kyūketsuki they came across, they would be able to turn them back into humans. It was promising to be a slow process at this point, but she was sure that they could do it.

In any case, lately she was sure that she was on to something. There were a few vampires that they had locked up, for when Sakura felt confident enough to test it on one of them. She was a little reluctant, though, because if it went wrong, it would kill them. When she'd pointed this out, the man who'd become her surrogate father had just shrugged.

"We kill them right now anyway, Sakura," Hatake Kakashi'd said.

That thought had unsettled her, until she remembered _why_ he was like her father.

So she continued to work, though she still wasn't ready to test anything on an actual vampire. There were too many variables at the moment, but even so, the day for actual testing wasn't too far away. It might make her feel morally uncomfortable to attempt any kind of testing, but she just remembered what vampires did to the humans they didn't finish off straight away, then she was fine with it, if only for a little while…

On this particular day, she was feeling quite positive, as the last batch that came in hadn't rejected the vampire cells. Never before had a petri dish given her such a confidence boost. It was as if the answer was just in front of her, and all she had to do was reach out and grab it… But of course, that was still a problem. There were obstacles in the way, and one of them right now, was funding.

The other hunters were definitely interested in this cure of hers, because it meant that they could possibly get rid of every single vampire that existed, but they weren't that generous when it came to loosening their purse strings, so to speak. Sure, Sakura could afford to fund everything herself if she wanted, but she didn't necessarily have the right connections to get equipment that she needed access to, but currently didn't have.

A strange sensation ran along her spine, interrupting her thoughts, and she looked around, not finding anything that would cause it. She sighed. Of course not. For some time now, she had been aware that she was being followed, by a vampire, no less, and she wondered if they'd somehow found out about her research. If they had, then this one was probably set with the task to either kill her or bring her in. But if that was the case, then why hadn't he done so already?

Increasing her pace, Sakura pondered over that thought. What was he doing? It had been three weeks since she'd noticed him, and she'd even brought the situation to Kakashi's attention, but any time he tried to confront the kyūketsuki, he would always vanish. It was frustrating, not knowing what it was that was driving this creature! But something had to be done…

Turning a corner, Sakura instantly hid in the shadows, knowing that it wouldn't hide her, but at least she might be able to catch him by surprise. She knew how to fight, thanks to Kakashi, and wouldn't be defenceless, though she hoped he wasn't an elite that the enemy sometimes had…

She waited and waited, then finally, he came into view. She watched as he simply stood there, staring at the path before him, and she took the opportunity to study him. Sakura was surprised to find that his expression was quite calm, considering most kyūketsuki were habitually grumpy or haughty. But he seemed almost serene, and it was quite distracting. Then she noticed that his hair was red, blood red. That was the embodiment of the ancient myths that connected them with blood.

His body stilled then, and Sakura figured that the jig was up, he'd spotted her. But whether or not he had, he made no move towards her. A small smile seemed to curl his lips before he resumed walking, leaving her alone in the alcove. Confused, Sakura took a step forward, and wondered why he hadn't tried to either kill or capture her. Strange…

Breathing in deeply, she continued on her way, heading home. This behaviour from the vampire was highly unusual, and she felt that it warranted reporting to Kakashi. As soon as she got hime, the phone was almost immediately in her hand, and she was dialling his number.

"Come on, pick up!" she cursed into the phone, and after trying three times, there was finally an answer.

"Yo."

"Finally, Kakashi!" Sakura chastised. "Just what in the hell were you doing that you couldn't answer the phone!"

"Training the newbies," was the unflustered reply. "We got a whole new batch of survivors. You know that explosion on fifth? Vamps."

"Oh," Sakura was silent a moment, then went on, "I've got a new development with my stalker."

"Really? Did he try to feed off you?"

"No."

"Attack you?"

"No."

"Take you in for interrogation?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"He, uh, realised I knew he was watching me."

There was silence on the end of the line. "And he didn't try anything?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura described what had happened, and she could almost feel the wheels turning in Kakashi's brain. "Well, that is interesting," he said. "I doubt that a vamp that realises it's been made will come back, but if he does, you let me know, ok?"

Sakura walked over to the window and looked out. She sighed. "He's here again," she said.

It was then that the kyūketsuki looked up, and she felt like he was looking directly into her eyes. A smirk formed on his lips, she could see it from here, and he saluted her before resuming his staring. She was quite afraid of what this could possibly mean.

"He knows I know he's here," she said, feeling a slight panic well up in her. "What does he want from me, Kakashi?"

"I really couldn't tell you, Sakura," her father figure admitted. "I'm sending over someone to guard you, no arguing! We can't let anything happen to you, your research is too important."

Sakura sighed. "Fine," she relented. "Just make sure it's not Lee. Honestly, he creeps me out more than being stalked by a vampire does."

"Alright," Kakashi said with a laugh. "I'll send Neji, deal?"

"Deal," Sakura agreed, then hung up and moved away from the window.

_**?**_

Staring up at the window she'd vacated, Gaara sighed. He'd read her lips a little, and had realised that she was getting a protector soon. Quite frankly, he was surprised they'd waited this long to do so, but from what he'd observed, she was quite stubborn. But at least all of his watching her had told him why he was drawn to her. The woman, Sakura, was his mate.

So, the whole cure thing is inspired by the Blade trilogy, where they've got a cure, or a work in progress cure, I can't remember. It's been awhile since I've watched the movies. In any case, review!


End file.
